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Young curators Unleash Talent on LUMA

Participants in the Loyola University Museum of Art’s summer Young Curators Program presented their work at a special reception for family and friends.
Participants in the Loyola University Museum of Art’s summer Young Curators Program presented their work at a special reception for family and friends.
“Ukraine kind of looks like Kansas. In Ukraine they don’t eat a lot of meat but they do eat lots of vegetables. There is the Black Sea and a river but not a lot of water. I learned that they have a holiday called International Women’s Day where they give chocolates and flowers. It is never as hot as Chicago, or as cold as Chicago.”

That’s one of the engaging exhibit labels penned by a participant in the Loyola University Museum of Art (LUMA) Young Curators Program.  Debuting this past summer, the program is a joint effort of LUMA, the Chicago Area Peace Corps Association, and Connection Arts Chicago.

Ann Meehan, LUMA curator of education and a former Peace Corps volunteer, arranged the program for seven local students aged 9-13. The children interviewed Peace Corps volunteers about their experiences in Ukraine, Mauritania, Vanuatu, Zimbabwe, Togo, Brazil, and Morocco.  The students then wrote exhibit labels for artworks Peace Corps representatives had brought back from these countries, and created works of their own to be exhibited alongside the international art.

The experience was popular with the students, all first-generation Americans whose families hail from Nepal, Albania, and Mexico.  “They had several ‘Aha!’ moments,” says Meehan, who notes that the program supports Loyola’s goals of cross-cultural education and community service.  The children presented their work to friends and family at a special reception in August.